Geometry Shape - Vocabulary

Geometry is an essential part of the Year 1 curriculum, where students learn about different shapes and their properties. Two-dimensional (2-D) shapes are flat figures that cannot be picked up, including triangles, circles, squares, rectangles, pentagons, and hexagons. These shapes are defined by their sides, which are the straight lines that form their perimeters, and their vertices (or vertex), which are the points where two sides meet. In contrast, three-dimensional (3-D) shapes are objects with depth that can be physically held, such as cylinders, cuboids, cubes, tetrahedrons, spheres, and square-based pyramids. These shapes have faces, which are the flat surfaces, and edges, where two faces meet.

Understanding the vocabulary associated with shapes is crucial. For example, a rectangle has four sides and vertices, while a pentagon has five of each. A cube is a 3-D shape with six square faces, eight vertices, and twelve edges. The curriculum also introduces concepts like the core of a pattern, which is the repeating part of a pattern, and orientation, which refers to the position of a shape. Students learn to sort objects into groups and identify patterns in shapes. For instance, a square is a 2-D shape with four equal sides and vertices, while a circle has one continuous side. In three dimensions, a sphere is a shape without edges or vertices, and a cylinder has two circular faces and a curved surface. The vocabulary assessment for Year 1 includes all these terms, ensuring students are familiar with the basic concepts of geometry.